UW-Madison GPA Calculator

The University of Wisconsin-Madison uses a grading scale that differs from the majority of American universities in one important way: it uses intermediate letter grades AB and BC rather than the plus/minus system (A-, B+, B-, C+) used at most institutions. On the UW-Madison scale, grades are: A (4.0), AB (3.5), B (3.0), BC (2.5), C (2.0), D (1.0), and F (0.0). The AB grade represents performance above a B but below an A — equivalent to what many schools call an A-minus. The BC grade represents performance above a C but below a B — equivalent to a B-minus at schools using the plus/minus system. There are no A+, B+, or C+ grades at UW-Madison.

The AB and BC intermediate grades were adopted by UW-Madison as part of a grading philosophy that provides meaningful distinction between performance levels without introducing the full proliferation of plus/minus grades. A system with A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, and F grades has twelve non-failing grade levels, which some educators argue makes meaningful distinction between close performance levels difficult. UW-Madison's seven-level scale (A, AB, B, BC, C, D, F) maintains meaningful differentiation at each level while keeping the scale simpler than full plus/minus systems. The 0.5-point increment between grades (rather than the 0.33-point increment in plus/minus systems) also means GPA calculations are slightly more distinct from grade to grade.

Transfer students coming from schools using the plus/minus system should be aware that UW-Madison will translate their incoming grades to the UW scale. An A- from a transfer institution is typically equated to an AB (3.5) at UW-Madison. A B+ becomes a B (3.0) — note that this means a B+ from a transfer school does not become an AB at UW-Madison, which can slightly reduce GPA for students accustomed to receiving B+ grades. Conversely, a B- becomes a BC (2.5). Students planning to transfer from UW-Madison to another institution should inquire about how the destination school will interpret UW's AB and BC grades, as the translation varies and can affect acceptance decisions or honor standing at the receiving institution.

GPA calculation at UW-Madison follows the standard weighted average approach used at virtually all American universities. For each course, multiply the grade points earned by the number of credit hours the course carries. Sum all these products across all courses taken in a given term to get the total quality points. Then divide the total quality points by the total number of credit hours attempted in that term to produce the semester GPA. For example, if you took a 4-credit course earning an A (4.0), a 3-credit course earning a BC (2.5), and a 2-credit course earning a B (3.0), your quality points are 16.0, 7.5, and 6.0 respectively, totaling 29.5 quality points across 9 credit hours — a semester GPA of 29.5 ÷ 9 = 3.278.

Cumulative GPA is calculated the same way but across all terms completed at UW-Madison. Add all quality points earned across every completed semester, then divide by the total credit hours attempted across all semesters. Transfer credits are generally not included in the UW-Madison GPA calculation — only credit hours earned at UW-Madison with a letter grade (A through F) contribute to the cumulative GPA. Audit courses (taken without a letter grade), P/F graded courses, and credits transferred from other institutions appear on the transcript but do not factor into the cumulative GPA. Pass/Fail courses at UW-Madison are an option for some courses outside the major, and a P grade does not affect GPA; an F in a Pass/Fail course does affect GPA, earning 0 grade points.

The UW-Madison credit hour system uses semester credit hours, where one credit corresponds to approximately one hour of direct instruction per week over a 15-week semester, plus two additional hours of independent study per week. A typical full-time course load is 12 to 18 credits per semester, with 15 credits being the most common. Students must complete 120 credit hours to graduate with most bachelor's degrees, though specific majors require more. For GPA calculation purposes, all letter-graded credit hours count equally in the denominator regardless of whether they were completed as part of the major, the general education requirements, or free electives. Only repeated courses are treated differently, as discussed in the grade forgiveness section.

UW-Madison maintains both a term GPA (for a single semester) and a cumulative GPA (for all UW-Madison coursework completed). The term GPA reflects your performance in that particular semester and can fluctuate considerably from term to term depending on course difficulty, credit load, and personal circumstances. The cumulative GPA is the long-running weighted average that appears most prominently on the official transcript and is the figure employers, graduate schools, and scholarship committees typically use when evaluating academic performance. Term GPA is mainly useful for tracking semester-by-semester progress and for identifying whether performance is improving or declining over time.

A strong semester GPA can meaningfully improve your cumulative GPA, particularly in the early years before you have accumulated many credit hours. In your first year, each semester represents a large fraction of your total attempted credits — a strong first semester GPA heavily influences the cumulative figure. As you accumulate more credit hours, each new semester represents a smaller fraction of the total, so the marginal impact of any one semester's performance on the cumulative GPA diminishes. A common source of frustration for students is discovering that a very strong semester after a poor one has surprisingly little effect on the cumulative — this is simply the mathematics of a weighted average with many accumulated data points.

Monitoring both GPAs helps students identify trends and set realistic improvement targets. If your cumulative GPA is 2.8 after six semesters and you want to reach 3.0 by graduation (at the end of eight semesters), you can calculate the required average grade for your remaining coursework. This calculator supports that analysis by letting you enter hypothetical future semester grades and credit loads to project cumulative GPA trajectories. UW-Madison's academic advisors also use GPA projections in advising conversations, especially for students navigating academic standing requirements or applying to competitive major programs with GPA prerequisites.

UW-Madison uses cumulative GPA as the primary measure of academic standing, with consequences for students who fall below minimum thresholds. Students with a cumulative GPA below 2.0 (C average) are placed on academic probation, which triggers mandatory advising, restricted course enrollment, and in some cases removal from certain degree programs. Students on probation typically have one or two semesters to raise their cumulative GPA above 2.0 before facing academic dismissal. Students who are academically dismissed may petition for readmission, but readmission is not guaranteed and typically requires a demonstrated improvement plan and evidence of changed circumstances.

Individual academic programs at UW-Madison often impose their own GPA requirements for enrollment or continuation, beyond the university-wide minimum of 2.0. The School of Business (Wisconsin School of Business) requires a minimum GPA to remain enrolled in the business major. The College of Engineering requires a minimum GPA for continuation in specific engineering specializations. Pre-professional programs (pre-medicine, pre-law) typically have competitive internal GPA benchmarks for advising purposes, even if those benchmarks are not formally required. Students should confirm the GPA requirements for their specific major and school, as these requirements can differ from the university-wide 2.0 floor.

Dean's List recognition at UW-Madison is awarded to students who achieve strong academic performance in a given semester. To qualify, a student must complete at least 12 graded credit hours in the semester (credits taken on a Pass/Fail basis do not count) and earn a term GPA of 3.5 or higher. The 3.5 threshold — which corresponds to a mix of A and AB grades in UW-Madison's grading system — represents genuinely strong performance. Dean's List designation is recorded on the official transcript and recognized in departmental announcements. It is distinct from honors-at-graduation designations (cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude), which are based on cumulative GPA at the time of graduation rather than any single semester's performance.

UW-Madison has a course repeat policy that allows students to retake courses in which they performed poorly. When a course is repeated, both the original grade and the repeated grade appear on the official transcript — UW-Madison does not delete or hide original grades. However, for GPA calculation purposes, only the most recent grade earned in the course is counted in the cumulative GPA. The original grade is not included in the GPA denominator or quality point total for repeated courses. This policy — sometimes called grade forgiveness or grade replacement — allows students to improve their GPA by retaking courses, though the original grade remains visible to any institution or employer reviewing the transcript.

The repeat policy applies to most letter-graded courses, but there are restrictions. Students may repeat a course no more than twice total (meaning they can take it a maximum of three times including the original attempt). Certain courses by their nature may not be retaken for GPA replacement — courses with variable content that are approved for repeated credit earning are treated differently than straight retakes. Students planning to repeat a course to improve GPA should confirm with their academic advisor and the course's home department that the repeat is eligible for grade replacement. Financial aid implications of repeating a course should also be checked, as some federal aid rules limit how many times a repeated course counts toward the credit hours required for aid eligibility.

The cum laude graduation honors at UW-Madison are awarded based on cumulative GPA at graduation. Cum laude is awarded to students with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 to 3.649. Magna cum laude is awarded for a GPA of 3.65 to 3.849. Summa cum laude is awarded for a GPA of 3.85 or higher. These thresholds apply to the cumulative UW-Madison GPA and require that a minimum number of credits be completed at UW-Madison rather than transferred in. The specific credit-hour residency requirement for graduation honors eligibility is found in the UW-Madison student guide. Because graduation honors are based on the full cumulative GPA, students who had a weak early performance but significantly improved can still qualify if their final cumulative GPA reaches the threshold — the repeat policy and consistent strong performance in later semesters can make this achievable even from a low starting point.